Congress workers accused of sedition for singing Bangladesh's national anthem!

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has ordered a sedition case against Congress workers, saying that singing Bangladesh's national anthem 'Amar Sonar Bangla' is tantamount to sedition. The Chief Minister gave this order on Wednesday (October 29) and directed the police to quickly arrest the accused.

The incident began last Monday at a meeting of the Congress Seva Dal in Sribhumi town of Karimganj district of Assam. At the meeting, a local leader performed the song 'Amar Sonar Bangla, Ami Tomay Bhalobo' written by Rabindranath Tagore, which is the national anthem of Bangladesh.

The 19-second video went viral on social media, which was first posted by Assam's Health and Family Welfare Minister Ashok Singhal. He alleged, "The national anthem of the country that wants to separate North-East India from India is being sung in the Congress meeting."

Ashok Singhal claimed that the Congress has been doing vote bank politics for a long time and is trying to change the demographics of Assam with the help of infiltrators. He alleged, “Congress wants to build a greater Bangladesh.”

After this statement, anger spread among BJP leaders and demands were made to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to take action. The next day, after the cabinet meeting, Himanta said, “Singing the national anthem of Bangladesh is a challenge to India’s sovereignty. Starting a Congress meeting with the national anthem of Bangladesh, not India, is an insult to our national dignity.”

He also said, “The police have been instructed to file a sedition case against those Congress leaders. They will be arrested soon and action will be taken as per the law.”

On the other hand, the state BJP has also started criticizing the Congress on social media. The party wrote, “Congress is obsessed with Bangladesh. Just a few days ago, Bangladesh included the northeastern region of India on the map, and now Congress is proud of that Bangladesh.”

However, after this incident, the Congress directly responded. Pradesh Congress President Gaurav Gogoi said in a press conference, “The song ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ is a creation of Rabindranath Tagore, which is a symbol of the heritage and emotions of Bengali culture. The BJP always has an insulting attitude towards the Bengali language, Bengali culture and Bengalis.”

He also said, “The song written by Rabindranath Tagore is not a foreign culture, but rather it is a part of Indian literature and Bengali pride. The BJP does not understand Rabindranath’s philosophy, does not know the history of Bengalis, and only uses Bengalis for political interests.”

Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the BJP is deliberately turning this issue into a political debate to divert people’s attention from the burning issue.

It is worth noting that Rabindranath Tagore composed the song ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ in 1905 to protest the partition of Bengal. After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, this song was declared as the national anthem.

Political tension has arisen across Assam surrounding this incident. While the BJP is accusing it of sedition, the Congress is claiming it is an expression of cultural heritage. The song has sparked a new debate in Assam state politics.